One of the first AAR DIK books I ever read was one of yours: “Walking After Midnight.” Now here I am, years later, reading another “walking” book that involves a hero and heroine on the run and trying to stay alive. My questions for myself as I started the book were will the romance work, will the suspense work and how will I feel about the thief hero when all is said and done. The answers are yes, partly, and ultimately it’s a cop out.

“For years after witnessing the murder of her mother, Micayla “Mick” Lange has been forced to relive the horrific events of her dreams, often causing her to sleepwalk. Now a Detroit cop, and stinging from a recent breakup, Mick has arrived early to housesit during the holidays for the wealthy father of her longtime best friend. When she catches Jason Davis in the act of stealing a large sum from the home safe, Mick finds herself embroiled in a crime so explosive it could cost both of them their lives. Although their attraction to each other is palpable, as natural adversaries their only common ground is mutual distrust – and the fact that the same killers are now hunting them both. Sparks fly and passions flare as Mick and Jason run for their lives, knowing that teaming up is the only chance they have to survive.”

The book gets off to a quick start with a throw down that shows Mick and Jason just how evenly matched they are. Mick might be littler but she can put a hurting on anyone stupid enough to discount her in a fight. But when proof of a horrific crime stares her in the face and she realizes that her knowledge is known, she has no choice but to flee with this crook she just caught red handed. This is one of the better set ups that forces the bickering hero and heroine on the road together that I’ve read. In a flash, Mick’s whole world is flipped and it’s she who does the most to get them away from the henchmen – something that I truly enjoyed. She doesn’t want to do this but once she makes up her mind, she’s the one leading the charge. I did wonder how she’d managed to remain in total denial about the true nature of the main villain, though. That must have taken some mental hoop jumping of major proportions.

The race away from the killers is one of the best parts of the book. There’s enough trash talking to keep the tension between Mick and Jason wound tight plus a little sexual frisson which – thank God – doesn’t lead to inappropriately timed boinking. Several thugs are still after them, forcing our lead characters through the bitterly cold, snowy night, just barely missing being caught time and again. But caught I knew they’d eventually have to be and it’s done realistically and due to the fact that Mick is a cop with ingrained instincts. Makes sense. Yet, I also think most people will see the twist coming that brings Mick and Jason into the hands of the baddies.

That entire scene is cool and I sat riveted to see how they’d escape from handcuffs, several men who weren’t going to hesitate to kill them, and through a steel reinforced door. Jason’s calm under pressure is a joy to see and his humor in the setting of a large percentage of the DPD being hot on their tails needles Mick in a way that had me laughing.

Now, this is the point where the suspense stuff begins to go pear shaped. I’m willing to go along with how you get these two out of Detroit. I can also accept the sweet little set up Jason and his cronies have going. And the explosion of Happy Boinking between Jason and Mick is inevitable given the sparks that are being struck between them. I can also trust Jason’s realization of how much Mick means to him and not just because of the hot lovin’. She’s more than that to him and given the life or death situations that they’ve gotten into and out of, I think they know each other and their feelings pretty well by this time. But…but…I did some serious eye rolling from here on out about the suspense.

The baddies had to make a return if only because they hadn’t been dealt with. Suddenly Mick lying to Jason about what she did was alright. And given Jason’s history – he only robs from crooks so that makes it all okay – he still has contacts in a Big Government Agency who are deliriously happy to help them out when it’s discovered that Mick is being blackmailed by the killers to return to Detroit – in a way that makes me wonder why none of these smart people realized it was a given it would happen this way. And everything that could go wrong does go wrong yet – booyah! – it’s Mick who mainly saves the day.

I gotta say that I have serious doubts about the rainbow happy ending. No one is going to discover where Jason lives by following him or – later – Mick back to the Bat Cave? No associates of the villain will make trouble for the rest of Mick’s family? She’s going to be okay living with a thief who, at the end of the day, has no plans to quit? But, that’s right, he’s a Disney thief who only steals from crooks so I guess she can accept that. I suppose she won’t be tied up for ages taking part in the trial of the villain or his minions either. It’s off to Jason’s sunny little hideout to put cracks in the wall plaster and shock the iguana.

After how good lots of the previous parts of the book are I hated to see it all go wonky at the end. Sigh.

~Jayne

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“It started with a baseball…

Which shattered Lauren Russell’s perfectly ordered life. Lauren’s new neighbors were about to see the Southern lifestyle columnist’s temper! Then she met Cole Donovan, the sexy single dad. He was not the man from her husband list; he was too tall, too sexy—and definitely had too many kids! But somehow, looking into his blue, blue eyes, she forgot all that….

Lauren was too elegant, too prim and didn’t understand that his three rambunctious kids were the focus of his life. But his tempting neighbor smelled delicious, looked luscious and cooked like a dream. Cole wasn’t looking for a wife, but he couldn’t stay away from Lauren. Was it a recipe for disaster—or marriage?”

Dear Ms. Winstead Jones,

There still sure are a lot of Harlequin authors who I haven’t tried yet and it just happened to be your newest book which caught my eye next. My own house is a disaster and my cooking – though I love to do it – often depends on how many pots and pans I’m willing to get dirty at a time. I envy people who can look into their pantries and whip up something scrumptious from what’s there so Lauren’s profession called to me. Then it’s also kind of fun to watch an ordered person’s world upended and it appeared that these three children would accomplish that. And who isn’t interested in sexy? So, selection made I got to reading.

Cole and Lauren begin to interact almost cautiously. Neither had counted on meeting the other, both have lives and plans and they take things fairly slowly, get to know each other and establish a foundation before jumping into bed. They get to like each other before they start to love each other. They’ve also dated in the past and are open to possible relationships. This is important to me because I don’t like characters who fixate on one past love to the exclusion of all others. I’ve just read that trope too often. Here, Cole and Lauren seem like fairly normal, well adjusted adults.

The three children also come across as such. They’re definitely not plot moppets and are neither perfect, lisping angels nor spawn from out of a nightmare. They run around, they play, they like to eat fish sticks and don’t want to brush their teeth. The’re also intelligent and view their dad’s relationships in the way young children would – how the dates would affect them. I especially think Meredith’s character is well drawn as a young woman on the verge of growing up but who’s still got a bit of maturing left.

A major thing I like about the book is that both Cole and Lauren don’t immediately dissolve in a puddle of lust. In fact, despite noticing each other’s better physical qualities, they remain relatively in control until after quite a few meetings. When things do heat up, they sizzle yet at the same time there’s a degree of humor that had me laughing such as the first time Cole arrives at Lauren’s house and sex is on the agenda.

“Reality intruded like a splash of ice water. “Oh, tell me you came prepared.” When she’d thought about not overthinking, that hadn’t meant they shouldn’t think at all.
His voice was raspy as he responded, “Do I not look prepared?”
She smiled, touched him, leaned in so her breasts rested against him. He was so warm. Almost hot. “A condom, Cole. Please tell me…”
He squatted and reached into the back pocket of his jeans, pulling out three wrapped condoms. A baby monitor and a three-pack. He was most certainly prepared.”

I do like some humor with my sex. Some smiles along with the sparks. And things were going well until the last minute additions of Complications to the mix combined with the panic button pushing done by both Cole and Lauren. One person sounding the “I’m not sure I’m ready for this” alarm is understandable but when they both did it, it was too much. This followed by the quick realization by both of them that they’d messed up all seemed too much like plot manipulations and running out of space rather than the natural flow of a relationship.

This slight hiccup is somewhat redeemed by a good, solid ending. Both Cole and Lauren have come to their senses, they talk and it doesn’t appear that Lauren is ready to throw over her career to be a baby maker. The children and adults are all on the same page about the relationship and things look good without an immediate frog march down the aisle to show how deliriously in love everyone is. Overall, I’m impressed with “The Husband Recipe” and have added you to my list of watched authors. B-

~Jayne

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The last person Mardie Rainey expects to see on her doorstep is her childhood sweetheart, Blake Maddock. Fifteen years ago, Blake Maddock had walked away, leaving her teenage heart sore and broken. But now—with a thunderstorm raging overhead—she can’t turn him away, nor the injured border collie in his arms….

Blake Maddock spent his life running from one tragic mistake… Now the frightened boy has become a formidable man—and he’s coming back for the woman he has never forgotten….

Dear Ms. Lennox,

Recently I met fellow DA reviewer Sunita, which was a blast, and as book lovers do, of course we talked about books. We agree that one of our least favorite tropes is the “I kissed you once 10 years (or more) ago and have never forgotten it nor moved on with my life.” Argh, I hate this. So imagine my happiness when you made it very plain that Mardie hadn’t waited and faded away, she hadn’t lived in stasis since Blake left. She’d loved another man, married him, had a good and satisfying life before losing him. She still loved him in a way that was all his though there was room in her heart for another. Yeah, that’s another trope I dislike: the “I’ve loved and lost and will never love again!” Hate that too. Thank you for this.

I seriously enjoyed the sections about the dogs. They are such a part of these peoples’ lives that a story without them would feel incomplete. The parts with Charlie and Bessie working again and later at the funeral had me almost bawling. Would have had I been home but I had to hold it together at work. Still these are lovely scenes of how much dogs love and are loved and love to be useful.

Another wonderful thing about the story is that when Blake returns fifteen years after he left and shows up at Mardie’s door, she doesn’t turn into mush – well, perhaps for a minute in surprise but then she gets over it. And lets Blake know that she hasn’t wrapped herself up and mourned his loss all this time. He left, she was sad but then she got over it. She moved on. She’s lived a successful life and hasn’t thought about him or wondered about him. She took her passion for art and has made a name for herself as well as finding happiness teaching arts courses. I was bouncing in happiness through all this. Oh, and I loved it when she called him on how he viewed her life since she hadn’t gone overseas and saved children’s lives. And even after Blake makes a half hearted and emotionally induced proposal, she is wise enough to turn him down because she knows it’s still all wrong. Yeah, Mardie!

It’s wrong and Mardie insists that it be right. She probes Blakes’ reasons for not wanting to stay in Banskia Bay, she offers encouragement and mentions the therapy that helped her past the loss of her husband but she doesn’t push it or make ultimatums. She – and Blake – realize that neither will be happy trying to make a marriage work at their present stage. Yes, this takes the story down to the wire but I needed for them to work all this out to their satisfaction before I’d believe in their HEA.

And Blake does have some serious issues in his past. Some screwed up parents and a guardian aunt who wasn’t much better. Again I appreciate that this isn’t just a pity party on his part but some deep seated emotional mess that goes back a ways and must be dealt with. The way you described why he had to leave Banksia Bay and why he never contacted Mardie makes sense. He needed to leave this place that he saw as an exile where his parents sent him and if he’d talked to or written to Mardie, he wouldn’t have been strong enough not to crumble. When Mardie is finally given a window into what has driven Blake all these years and what still continues to haunt him, she knows these are things she might be able to help with – a little – but she can’t solve them for him. Nothing gets papered over or shoved under a rug with these two. They hurt each other somethimes with what they say but no punches get pulled and I like that.

Blake’s reasoning about why he needs to leave Banksia Bay and Mardie now also makes guy sense – he’s afraid he’ll hurt her by getting involved while he’s there – and planning to leave. It’s here that I can sort of see the start of his change of heart. Before, he’s wanted to leave to escape bad memories or to in some way make up for his twin’s death but now, emotion for Mardie is starting to seep through. I like that the time frame of the story allows for these slower shifts in emotion since there’s a lot to be dealt with and sorted out. Over the course of fixing Bessie’s eyes and the fund raising dinner and the month long recovery needed for the dog, Blake gets time to think and time to slowly see Mardie and Banksia Bay not as escapes anymore but as a person and a place that are home to him. There’s also the fact that they still have that connection they had years ago of being able to tease each other and almost know what the other is thinking that they’ve never lost.

Their ultimate realization that they’re both ready, willing and in an emotional place to finally get together for good is sweet and gentle and plays out in a way true to the setting of the story. Thanks for another enjoyable excursion with these salt of the earth people – and their dogs! B

~Jayne

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Rhian’s Rooftop Resolutions:
1. Write a children’s book
2. Learn to play basketball
3. Have a summer fling

Between caring for her orphaned nephew and working as a tech writer, Rhian MacGregor has spent several years perfecting the art of abstinence. But the arrival of Nathan Delaney—her gorgeous housepainter—has her contemplating a new instruction manual: Seducing Your Handyman.

She’s not thinking of getting serious, of course. She’s only got the summer to herself before it’s back to real life. Besides, Rhian doesn’t do serious, because the consequences are too painful.
Just as they will be when she finds out who Nathan really is…

Dear Mrs. Hartman,

I guess this is a reissue since the eharlequin website lists it with a publication date of 2007 and an onsale date of September 2011 but whatever it is, I’m glad I’m finally reading it. Oh, and I love that the cover shows the pepto bismol pink painted house that Nathan paints to get into Rhian’s life. Cover images that match what actually happens in the book – yeah!

Okay the set up for the book requires a little suspension of belief about Nathan. I know some famous authors are fairly reclusive but the lengths to which he’s gone just don’t seem like even they’d be enough. Not with today’s easy access via the Internet to everything about everybody. But I’ll just go with it and keep reading. The celebrity, tabloid “journalist” daytime show host’s decision to discover who author Chris Senso really is seems all too real though. Anything for increased ratings no matter who it might hurt or whose life it might change. That being said, the way you’ve fashioned the character of Lindsey Hall makes her sound exactly like the uber exuberant, “will stop at nothing to get the story,” “perfect hair and makeup” type of modern TV personality. Can I say I fairly much despise them? Yes, I can. And Nathan’s ex Patricia – wow, what was he thinking to get hooked up with her? The scene at the end where those two are pitted against each other is worth it though as the perfect revenge.

Nathan Delaney does have some concrete reasons why he wants privacy – both as Nathan and as his nom de plume “Chris.” Because of his bad experience as a college basketball player, I can see why he isn’t eager to be in the spotlight anymore. And why he’s initially skittish when first introduced to Rhian’s friends and her nephew Jem’s family. I like the slow, sweet build up to a physical relationship that they have but I could see the Big Mis situation coming. When one character tells another “I have something to tell you” and that telling gets interrupted for sex, the hand grenade explosion isn’t far off. Nathan loses a few points with me for his reaction to what happens and I’m not entirely sure his initial “I’m sorry, I should have believed you” is enough for me. The man had lots of chances before that night to tell the truth.

Rhian starts the book as if she’s going to turn into one of those martyrs who gives up her entire life for the service of others. I do like the relationship she has with Jem but I’m glad she is going to have most of the summer to herself and that she already plans on having some adult fun when she’s got the chance. And that she goes ahead with her dream and actually finishes it! The HFN ending to that – her being an author – is a nice change from the usual “she becomes a huge worldwide star with her first book!” epilogues I’ve read in the past.

Matt and Min – kind of sound like they’re a pair of cartoon mice, don’t they – are fun secondary characters and really help with the way Nathan resolves the whole issue of his privacy. Jem comes across like an eight year old, basketball mad little boy who hasn’t quite gotten to the independent “don’t hug me in public” stage yet. He’s in the story just enough to not annoy me.

I might not always end up reviewing all your books but I do always look at them and here I’m glad that I’ve got a chance at reading this one that’s been out for a while. Ebooks are wonderful and reissued backlists are even better. B-

~Jayne

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I may be in the minority of readers in this, but I really prefer your contemporary books to your historicals. I find your contemporary voice more confident, fluent, and engaging, and, more specifically, I find Travis series books reliable comfort reads. Since we already had reviews of Sugar Daddy and Smooth Talking Stranger posted, Jane asked me if I wanted to write a view of Blue-Eyed Devil. I readily agreed, not only because it rounds out our coverage of the Travis series, but also because I think the novel’s treatment of domestic violence is an ever-timely and important discussion subject.

When Haven Travis defies her father’s wishes by marrying college boyfriend Nick Tanner, she is determined that she and Nick will be blissfully happy and she will never need her father – or his money. Which is a good thing, since Churchill Travis informs his daughter he will disinherit her if she goes through with the marriage. Churchill is a proud and arrogant man, but perhaps he also knows something about Nick that the young and naïve Haven does not yet see: the insecurities that express themselves through physical and emotional abuse of Haven. Still, it takes quite a while for Haven – who has inherited no small portion of her father’s pride – to break free of Nick’s control, and when she finally makes the phone call home, after Nick beat her and literally threw her out of the house, she calls her big brother Gage, who wastes no time in getting Haven back to Houston and, if he has his way, rapidly out of her violent marriage.

Because that’s the thing about the Travis men: they are charming as hell but too used to wielding their own power unchecked. Protective rather than abusive toward their women, the control is nonetheless the last thing Haven can stomach, having been controlled in almost every way by Nick. Still, it’s a long road back for Haven emotionally, and even as she makes substantial strides in her life – working for her brother Jack’s leasing company; divorcing Nick; undertaking psychotherapy – she still has a great deal of fear around men. So it’s no surprise that when she runs into Hardy Cates – her sister-in-law’s trailer park teenage crush and now a wealthy Houston oil man – she can literally feel the long-healed aches in her body from her final beating from Nick. And yet she is drawn to Hardy, too, just as she was in her family’s dark wine cellar when she accidentally kissed Hardy at Gage and Liberty’s wedding. Well the first kiss was accidental, at least, until she realized it wasn’t Nick who was wreaking such havoc on her sexual nerves. That long-ago kiss sealed the attraction between Haven and Hardy, though, and when they see each other again, Hardy is intent on taking things to the next level.

Hardy, of course, has no idea about Haven’s experience with Nick. In fact, he still sees in her a bit of a spoiled college girl whose apparent liberalism was more intellectual snobbery than authentic sentiment. So when Haven tends to act a bit standoffish in response to his assertive, even aggressive pursuit, Hardy isn’t sure she’s merely skittish or a tease, and he tries even harder to win her over, purchasing a condo in the Travis building where Haven works, buying her a gift that brings back memories of Haven’s childhood, and inviting her to a dance with him in front of her family, who see him as a no good, lying jerk who will take advantage of Haven if given half a chance (this aspect of the relationship was developed in Sugar Daddy, where Hardy tries to take Liberty away from Gage and interferes with an important Travis business deal).

Haven is not sure how to feel about Hardy’s pursuit. Part of her refuses to trust his motives, but another part is strongly drawn to the man her best friend Todd describes as “’[c]ool, tough retro-manly. The kind who only cries if someone just ran over his dog. The big-chested guy we can indulge our pathetic daddy complexes with.’” Although Todd also discerns that Hardy is more than he seems, a “’bending-the-rules, foxy, conniving twisted’” kind of guy who uses his “’aw-shucks-I’m-just-a-redneck routine’” to “’set people up” before he “goes in for the kill.’” In fact, Todd notes how much like Haven’t own father Hardy is in his “calculated underplaying,” which makes Haven even more wary of Hardy’s charm and intelligence. Indeed, Hardy uses a deft mixture of gentleness, charm, and forthright pressure with Haven that keeps her off balance but also keeps her coming back for more.

One of the things that drives me bonkers in Romance novels is a heroine supposedly recovering from abuse who somehow unconsciously recognizes that the hero is “safe” for her and has little compunction about jumping into a relationship – and into bed – with him. But one of my favorite aspects of Blue-Eyed Devil is that Haven and Hardy’s relationship does not follow that easy path. Like Haven, the reader wants to feel that Hardy is safe, but we still remember what he pulled in Sugar Daddy, making him a bit dangerous (or a bit contradictory in character, something I’ll address later). And Haven, who had almost no relationship or sexual experience before Nick, is doubly disadvantaged around a guy like Hardy, who is widely known for his bedroom looks and skills and ignorant of Haven’s history. A born seducer, Hardy pushes her sexually, and when she pushes back, he gets angry:

“Like hell I was pushing you. You wanted it.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Hardy.”

He looked flushed and dangerously aroused and annoyed as hell. Slowly he began to restore his own clothing. When he spoke again, his voice was low and controlled. “There’s a word, Haven, for a woman who does what you’re doing.”

“I’m sure you know a lot of interesting words,” I said. “Maybe you should go tell them to someone else.”

As much as I hated Hardy in this scene, I loved that Hardy makes this misstep, because it shows him to be a mere mortal, vulnerable in his own way. Because Hardy has a history, too – he got himself out of a trailer park and into the Houston social scene all by himself, and his own family history is even darker and more violent than what Haven experienced. Which makes his attraction to Haven very believable, even logical, in the same way that Haven’t attraction to a man who reminds her of her approval-withholding father is. For many readers, this kind of psychological layering makes Blue-Eyed Devil an “issue book,” but for me it’s really a book about people who have issues that make them good for each other but in really complicated and not-instantly negotiated ways.

Still, the story is romance at heart, and there is a certain amount of tension between the way the book tries to show Haven’s emotional journey in an authentic way and the almost fairy tale happiness we know Haven and Hardy will ultimately enjoy. For example, when Nick shows up to harass Haven before one of her dates with Hardy, it triggers an extreme emotional reaction in Haven that brings her relationship with Hardy to a crisis:

“. . . I’m broken.” I blotted my eyes with a shirtsleeve. “I wish I’d slept with someone before I married Nick, because at least then I’d have some good experience with sex. As it is, though. . .”

Hardy watched me intently. “That night of the theater opening. . . you had a flashback when I was kissing you, didn’t you? That’s why you took off like a scalded cat.”

I nodded. “Something in my mind clicked, and it was like I was with Nick, and all I knew was that I had to get away or I would be hurt.” . . .

“I guess it’s over now,” I said bravely. “Right?”

“Is that what you want?”

My throat clenched. I shook me head.

“What do you want, Haven?”

“I want you,” I burst out, and the tears spilled over again. “But I can’t have you.”

Hardy moved closer, gripping my head in his hands, forcing me to look at him. “Haven, sweetheart . . . you’ve already got me.”

I looked at him through a hot blur. His eyes were filled with anguished concern and fury. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “And you’re not broken. You’re scared, like any woman would be, after what that son of a bitch did.” A pause, a curse, a deep breath. An intent stare. “Will you let me hold you now?”

On the one hand, I was moved by Hardy’s reaction when he finally learns about Haven’s past and starts putting all the mixed signals into logical order, but I also saw the way the scene was set up to push Hardy and Haven into physical intimacy so the romance arc can progress. So as many ways as we can see Haven struggling to move forward –taking back her personal agency, trying to deal alone with a sociopathically abusive boss, freak outs with Hardy, ongoing therapy, etc. – we know where things are going with Hardy, and while there’s a lot of comfort in that, there is also the necessity of getting Haven recovered enough to have a healthy relationship in a timeframe that suits the romantic arc (i.e. condensed).

Additionally there is the problem of Hardy. In Sugar Daddy he showed himself to be ruthless and selfish, willing to betray a hard-won trust to get what he wanted. But by Blue-Eyed Devil we’re supposed to be willing to put our own trust in Hardy as an appropriate partner for the somewhat fragile Haven, which means we have to know he’s fundamentally a good guy. If readers are not familiar with the first book in the series, this might not seem like such a problem; however, if they are reading the series in order, Hardy feels a little artificially rehabilitated for the second book.

Still, Hardy is not a perfect man in Blue-Eyed Devil, even though we know from the beginning that he is The One for Haven. His missteps give his own character depth and let us know that he is a man who understands destructive family dynamics and has his own self-destructive streak to manage. Moreover, we see what Haven gives to Hardy rather than merely seeing Hardy as someone who will “save” Haven and bring her happiness. Hardy’s own background and his own unraveling during the course of the novel reveal the extent to which Hardy needs saving, too, and the extent to which both Hardy and Haven need a compassionate, protective, trustworthy partner.

At heart, though, I read Blue-Eyed Devil as Haven’s story. In fact, I find the whole series to be very heroine-centric, which may be one reason I like them so much. It’s not that the romance is peripheral or unimportant, or the men forgettable (in fact, they’re all very imposing, dynamic, handsome men); it’s that I find the heroine’s journey about more than one in which she finds love with the hero. Haven has to find the road back to being able to trust and accept herself and be confident in who she is. And Hardy is, indeed, a delicious counterpart, his love for Haven as big and powerful as he is. As I said, this book (and the series as a whole) is a comfort read for me – engaging, emotionally fulfilling, and psychologically satisfying despite its flaws and inconsistencies. B

~ Janet

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I purchased this book on a Kindle Daily Deal, I think. It’s regularly priced at $4.99 and while I felt that $4.99 was a bit too pricey for DA_January’s budget, I could spend two dollars and not hate myself in the morning for buying it. From This Moment On was extremely readable, but at the end, I think I respected myself a little less for enjoying it, because I shouldn’t have. The storyline is saccharine sweet and almost unbelievable, and the hero and heroine are very one note.

From This Moment On is the romance of Marcus Sullivan and Nico the pop star. Marcus is part of the Sullivan clan. They are a cross between the Bridgertons and the Village People, in that there are eight siblings of eight varying jobs and each sibling will get their own book. There is the fireman (book three), the world-famous photographer (book one), the rich Vineyard owner (this book), the pro baseball player, the movie star, the automotive whiz who owns a chain of auto stores, and two sisters. The sisters are a choreographer and a librarian. If I am a Sullivan sister, I am thinking I got a raw deal. The Sullivans are the basis of the series, of course, and it feels a bit contrived. Like Romance Pokemon, readers must collect them all.

Nico is a pop star. She goes by Nicola during her downtime. She is very young and likes to lounge around in her pajamas at home when she gets free time. She doesn’t like parties and clubbing because she is a nice girl despite being a sex kitten pop star. In her last relationship, her boyfriend took advantage of her fame and took some risque photos of the two of them in an intimate embrace, and they surfaced on the internet. Now, Nicola doesn’t trust men and she has a scandalous reputation, which makes her even more famous.

Marcus Sullivan is the hero, and he’s 36 and owns a winery. He’s recently gotten out of a two year relationship with a woman that cheated on him. He decides that he’s going to go to a club and pick up a woman. Nicola has also decided that she’s going to live the wild pop star life and go to a club and pick up a man. They of course, pick up each other. After exchanging two or three sentences, they get in a cab and head out to Marcus’s place. And thus the romance begins.

There were so many instances that strained belief in this story that it would take forever for me to go through them. Nicola, who claims to not trust men, is falling asleep in Marcus’s arms moments after she has met him. She has sex with him in public places and lets him tie her hands, even though her last boyfriend abused her trust. This did not seem like the reactions of a woman who had her trust violated, because she blindly obeys every edict Marcus gives her.

Marcus is a bit of a creeper. He’s 11 years older than Nicola, and is very take charge in the bedroom. I couldn’t help but feel that he was going to take over other aspects of Nicola’s life very shortly, like the Jason Trawick to Nicola’s Britney Spears. After they had been together for a week, he was giving Nicola career advice (because vineyard owners know so much about pop music, I suppose) and even worse, she was taking it.

I should have hated this book.  I thought Nico was a cleaned up, unrealistic version of a pop star. I thought Marcus was singular and overbearing. But I read the book in one sitting, and found it enjoyable despite the myriad flaws. You have a compelling, light voice and though your characters do have a sameness to them, I thought it was readable and pleasant. When the characters got together, it was sexy, and I felt the storyline was straightforward. There were no ridiculous, convoluted storylines to keep the characters apart. It was a very simple story about two very different people getting together. And while their jobs made me roll my eyes, I didn’t mind the read. I even bought other books in the series, because I guess I am a fan of Romance Pokemon after all.

C+

All best,

January

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Annie Lou Riddle had a plan: Move to New York City. Break into the fashion industry. Work her way to the top. Nowhere in that scenario did she expect to accidentally sell her soul in exchange for a job at Hot! Magazine. Oops. Demons, it seems, aren’t big on letting mortals off the hook. Now Annie is stuck working as assistant/personal slave to Finola White – diva extraordinaire, and glamorous she-devil. Whatever Finola wants, she gets, and she wants Annie to match her up with Nick Rossi, the gorgeous detective investigating shady doings at Hot! Frankly, Annie sees the appeal. Nick is effortlessly sexy, rugged, charming – and the one man Annie should definitely not be flirting with, or kissing, or…Oops. But some loves are too devilishly hot to resist…

Dear Ms. Love,

So I guess this book is supposed to literally be “The Devil Wears Prada” or perhaps the more accurate “The Demon Wears Prada” since Finola, though a powerful demon, isn’t actually the devil. I’ve never read that book but after watching the documentary “The September Issue” I have some idea where it comes from and what you based your book on. It might sound strange but I’m glad that all the demon characters are evil and not about to be saved. The thought of demonic heroes or heroines makes me slightly uncomfortable. Even Tristan’s actions to help save Nick from Finola are more to keep their mission on track than due to any kindness from him. And Finola conveys the “it’s all about me and what do I care about anyone else – oops there goes another soulless assistant” I’d expect from her.

Annie Lou Riddle? Could the name be any more of a stereotype of Southerners? Also the cover, though cute, reminds me too much of “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” I found it strange that the newspaper articles which Annie reads about Nick would mention him so much by name and be so detailed that she’d get an idea of his almost breakdown following the murder investigation he headed. Maybe that’s an unjust niggle on my part but I wondered about that for far too much time.

So Annie signed the contract for the job. Sorry but the fact that she knew what was entailed makes Annie sound like a moron. If she’d been tricked into it or hadn’t read the fine print until after she signed it would be easier for me to swallow but honestly, signing your soul away for a job in the fashion industry? It’s not like she was doing what Nick tried to do and offer his soul to save hers. Okay, okay if she hadn’t then there would go the book plot but the set up didn’t wow me or make me as sympathetic to her as I probably should have been.

Her relationship with long time boyfriend Bobby also makes her look like a pushover marshmallow. Yeah, he does have some easy lies that could be true but wake up and smell the java, Annie. Though it does make their ultimate breakup quicker and take less page space. But did Bobby never once in three years question Annie’s job or how long her hours were or the stress she was under? Even he’s not that much of an idiot. And would it have taken the NYPD 3 years to start investigating the disappearance of all those workers from HOT! magazine? This strains belief. Ditto that Nick appears to the only officer working on this case.

The conclusion of Annie’s contract and her freedom from Finola is too easy. Most of the book is spent worrying about how Annie can possibly escape her fate since she read the fine print then BAM! it’s over. I won’t go into more but I just don’t see the humans’ threats as working against Finola. Her Master’s threats yes but not Nick’s.

This is a quick read. Easy, with enjoyable moments but I think ultimately also fairly easy to forget about. Perhaps I just didn’t get into the whole paranormal spirit of the thing. I get the idea that this is the start of a series but I’m not interested enough to keep going with it. C-

~Jayne

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Opening line:  “I must be crazy.”  Dr. Emilie Saunderson stared out the porthole window of the cramped Twin Otter airplane at the frozen landscape of Antarctica.

A six word memoir for your protagonists:   Tom: Tough times leave you bleeding…forever.

Emilie: Grief’s hold is hard to break.

The original inspiration or trigger points for the story:  The inspiration for this story came at a conference workshop. An editor mentioned how she liked exotic settings, so I thought what more exotic location is there but Antarctica. I spent time working in the North West Territories of Canada when I was younger, so I know about cold weather living, the dark nights of winter and the crazy things people have to do to cope with isolation.

Your favorite line, scene, or moment from IceBound:    I think my favorite line is this one: “Antarctica, and the people who come here, aren’t like the rest of the planet. Gravity still works, but that’s about it.”

An unexpected detour you took while researching the book:  You mean I can only pick one? Researching this book was so much fun because there are so many unusual and insane things about Antarctica. I write medical romance, so the fact that the incidence of appendicitis in Antarctica is so much higher than anywhere else led me on a merry chase to discover why. But no one knows why. There’s a research project in there somewhere.

How did the unusual setting for IceBound influence your characters’ traits and arcs?  The setting greatly influenced the characters. The setting is, in some ways, a character of its own. I used the extreme conditions to amplify each character’s conflicts, personality traits and journey. The isolation makes it impossible for these two damaged people to run from each other or their problems, and facing their individual demons is something they’ve both been running from for a long time.

Your next release takes place in Alaska.  Are you on a mission to make parkas sexy, or is there something else that draws you to this kind of setting?  There is definitely inherent adventure in it.  

Parkas are sexy…when they come off! I love taking people to places they might not otherwise go – the polar regions are some of the harshest, yet beautiful places on earth. I’m thinking about a new story set in Iceland…all those glaciers and hot springs have so much potential.

I love the “Crazy Cold Facts” page on your website.  Would you share a favorite fact here?  One of my favourite facts is this one: “There are at least two active volcanoes in Antarctica, Mount Erebus (3794 m/12,448 ft) is the highest and has a permanent molten lava lake.” It’s amazing to me that both extremes in climate (hot and cold) can exist in the same place.

IceBound is your first published novel, but is it also your first novel?  No, I wrote for over ten years before I sold IceBound to Carina Press. I’ve now sold them a second manuscript (which finaled in the 2006 Golden Heart contest) and I’m working on revisions on another manuscript I wrote two years ago. Unfortunately most of the manuscripts under my bed aren’t worthy of publication (they suck!).

What would you like to tell readers about Carina Press?  What should writers know?

Readers, Carina Press is the place to find a story that’s different; good story telling, but set in an unusual place (like Antarctica!) or with non-conventional characters. I read a lot of the other Carina Press authors’ books and always find something fun, exciting and different.

Writers, if you’ve been told by agents that they don’t know how to sell your book, or by editors that they don’t know how to market your book, Carina Press is the publisher to submit to. They want those stories that don’t fit inside your typical romance novel box.

Your oddest or most reliable writing habit:   Okay, I’m about to out myself as a weirdo, but…lots of writers like to have music playing in the background to help set the mood, right? Me, I prefer to put M*A*S*H episodes on as background noise while I’m writing.

 Your favorite book when you were 10 years old:  A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

 What other authors would you recommend for medical romance?  Harlequin Mills & Boon in London England has had a medical romance line for over 60 years. We don’t see them often on this side of the pond, but I know several of the authors who write for them. I recommend anything Dianne Drake, Lynn Marshall, Laura Iding, Wendy S. Marcus and Jessica Mathews.

You can find more about Julie and her books at www.julieroweauthor.com.  IceBound is available now, and her next release, North of Heartbreak, comes out in the spring.

All she wants for Christmas is him. All he wants is everything…for her.

Urban Fairytales, Book 3

As Christmas bears down on Eric Athers’s empty wallet, one question plagues him: What to get the love of his life when he has less than nothing?

It doesn’t help that his wife, Nia, who works extra shifts to support him through his medical residency, practically glows with holiday spirit. Her determination to put the “Merry” in Merry Christmas only serves as a painful reminder of everything he’s unable to provide for her.

Nia loves her husband to distraction, and she can’t for the life of her figure out how someone so smart can be so dumb when it comes to something as simple as a little holiday. Christmas is so much more than presents and shopping malls.

All she has to do is show her own personal Scrooge that the best gifts come from the heart.

Dear Ms. Matthews,

The reason I chose to read your Christmas novella is that it seemed cute, about characters who aren’t billionaires and might just be about the real Christmas spirit instead of the “how much money did you spend on me?” mentality. Well, parts of it are sweet and sexy hot while one aspect seems firmly rooted in fantasy land.

I love Nia, almost as much as Eric seems to and I can fully understand why he went all out to win her love as soon as he met her. She’s smart, lovely, hawt, filled with joy and gets genuine happiness from her pitiful little Christmas tree. Eric seems like a downer at times compared to her. There were times I wanted to shake him and say, “Lighten up, man. If the puny tree makes her happy, why harsh on it?” Though he does put the left over ribbon and decorations to good use in a smoking love scene.

Showing how broke the Athers are as they struggle to pay off student loans is a slice of ‘young doctor reality’ that I perversely enjoyed seeing. Eric and his best bud Dominic Choy appear to be dedicated doctors although if they have enough time to take an hour lunch break and actually leave the hospital they have far too much free time on their hands to be residents. They also discuss Eric’s relationship woes a whole lot for men but this does allow for Eric’s breakthrough with his past and why he needs to let some of it go.

The nod to O’Henry’s famous short story, “The Gift of the Magi” is wonderful though thank heavens that things work out better for the Athers than the well known twist ending to that story. Where I think this story takes flight into fantasy is in the amount of time Eric and Nia have to make love. This is an instance where RL knowledge interferes with my enjoyment of your smexy efforts. Too many of my friends are doctors and, one and all, told me that during the intern and early residency years, they would have sold their souls for more sleep much less the energy and time for sex.

I enjoyed watching Nia and Eric work out what’s really important in life and appreciate how realistic parts of this are. Bonus points for Nia being willing to get their fight resolved because we all know that marriage in real life is a lot of work along with the joy. I just wish that beginning doctors had this much time to devote to hot orgasms. B-

~Jayne

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We at Dear Author get sent a lot of requests to review books and many of us have lamented at the frequency of Jane Austen themed ones. Yet, despite that, another reviewer and I were interested in the description of your book “Definitely Not Mr. Darcy.” A reality dating show with a 1812 theme and $100,000 at stake for the lucky contestant who “nabs” the handsome Regency guy? Could be fun.

Chloe Parker is a 39, divorced single mother with a failing business who desperately needs to win the grand prize of the contest which she’s been selected to be a part of. A long time Jane Austen fan, she can quote the books, knows the details of life in Austen England and thinks having the chance to actually live as a Jane Austen heroine for the duration of the show is a dream come true. But the reality of life without hot showers, deodorant, modern bras and hampered by chaperones turns out to be more than she bargained for.

And then there’s her main rival among the contestants who won’t stop at breaking the rules but stoops to sabotaging Chloe at every turn. If that weren’t enough, Chloe finds that the accomplishments of a Regency Miss are harder and less interesting than they appear on film. Sebastian Wrightman is a hunk in his skintight breeches though and with her business needing a serious cash infusion, Chloe pursues him like a hound does a hare. If only she could stop thinking of his intelligent, younger, and penniless, brother Henry.

The PW blurb for the book promises sidesplitting faux pas as Chloe attempts to play a young woman on the hunt for a man in 1812 England. Well, amusing at times? Yes. Bust a gut laughing? No, not me. It’s also kind of sad in a way to watch as Chloe’s infatuation with the era is slowly stripped away though after watching some of the historical “reality” shows on PBS and the BBC, I kind of knew it was coming. Modern comforts are hard to let go of, as Chloe discovers. But along the way, she does discover something much more interesting – herself. She also unearths some business savvy and a well of inspiration that will allow her to save her business herself which I quite liked.

Now as for the romance…even if I hadn’t been a bad girl and skipped to the end to confirm my guess on who Chloe would actually fall for, as the story progressed it would have been pretty obvious. I was surprised that she didn’t bother to Google Sebastian Wrightman before leaving Chicago but then the book would have been over before it began. I like the man she falls for and who falls for her but since the reader must be kept in the dark about a lot of things, we never see his POV, or in fact anyone else’s, throughout the book. But, once Chloe knows what is going on, I have to agree wholeheartedly with her reaction. Clotted cream to the face wouldn’t be enough for me, though the way she tells him off in public is satisfying. Still, to be manipulated that way no matter what the reason would leave a bad enough taste in my mouth that any forgiveness would be a damn long time in coming. I was reminded of Patient Griselda from The Clerk’s Tale – a story I’ve always despised.

As a humorous tale about what life in Regency England was really like, “Definitely Not Mr. Darcy” has its moments and entertained me. As a romance, the hero leaves a lot to be desired no matter how much money he was or how much he enjoys Jane Austen books. I finished the book thinking Chloe deserves more which is not a good thing for this genre. C

~Jayne

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“Marty Lopez is living with HIV. He is also a recovering cocaine addict and has done time because of his addiction, before developing a second career as a substance abuse counselor. Over his family’s opposition, he moves to Texas from California, looking for a new life in a small town.
Angie Davis is divorced. She lives with her grandparents and goes to school part time, and she really likes the new counselor at Second Horizon, the treatment center where she works.

When Angie learns that her current boyfriend has been unfaithful, Marty offers a listening ear. But friendship is all he offers, because the consequences of his past don’t leave room for love in his future.

Angie, however, has other ideas. As the months go by, friendship becomes love and love becomes commitment, until family, fear, and the ghosts of Marty’s past combine to test Angie’s faith and thrust Marty into the public eye. Suddenly their love must survive not only their own doubts, but scrutiny from an entire town.”

Dear Ms. Smith,

I can’t recall exactly how your book came to my attention but it’s definitely unique. An ex-con, recovering drug addict, HIV positive hero – wow, honestly can’t say I’ve ever seen this combo before and here there’s no sugar coating what Marty did. No justification of why he did this, no miraculous redeeming reasons behind it. He’s guilty as charged, on parole, attending NA, paying restitution and facing what HIV might do to end his life early even if he takes his meds, boosts his immune system and does everything he can to keep living. At first, despite all this, he seemed a little too perfectly reformed. I just didn’t get an image of him having anything to resist unlike some of his sponsees. Even when he does briefly fall off the wagon, he immediately repents, reforms, goes back into sponsorship and faces few repercussions from Angie or at his job.

Angie is so loving, so supportive, so mothering. But from what you have her say after attending Al-Anon meetings, I guess this can be a common thing among families of addicts. The way she pushes, I can understand Marty’s frustration and slight anger though, again, they discuss things loudly a bit, come to a quick resolution of their conflict and sail happily on. This seemed a little ‘skimming over’ of the issues they faced and I was left with the feeling of unease as if they were papering over their problems. One major thing that I didn’t notice getting addressed was the’ initially important to Angie’ issue she had with how Marty had dealt with telling his sexual partners about his condition. This first seemed like it might be a deal breaker for their relationship then as time went by, it’s not mentioned again.

So while Angie is Miss Fantastic, the opposite end of the spectrum is demonstrated by Marty’s large family which is both supportive – while smothering – and also so quick to believe the worst can and is happening to and of him. With a family like this, who needs negative enemies? I do like that there’s little effort to make sure that the fact that the hero’s family is Hispanic is highlighted – hey, folks – remember the Lopezes are HISPANIC! Got that? The last name, a few ‘Tios’ and other words tossed in the conversation and reference to his sister’s wonderful pico de gallo are about it.

Generally I like a bit of description to set a scene or initially describe characters but here there’s too darn much description in places. Did we need a list of every cat supply bought for Bella? Every article of furniture and decoration in the tiny apartment Marty and Angie share? Every piece of clothing they were wearing during the early scenes of the book? Nope, I don’t think so. And if anyone’s ever wanted to know about sexual practices that are okay between sero-disparate couples, they can learn most of it here along with the proper way to apply a condom. The first sex scene is a little too high school and almost giggle inducing though I appreciate Marty’s concern for Angie.

The tone of the book can get preachy at times. Angie is Righteousness Personified when arguing with her sister about Marty. Marty’s brother Steve takes up the banner later in the book when telling off the rest of the Lopez clan when they’re ready to down Marty yet again. Marty downs himself for much of the book and while normally I get quickly tired of the martyr hero or heroine, in this case it’s more justified as Marty did some stupid, selfish, arrogant, illegal and appalling things before being caught and convicted made him see the light. Then there are also the references to Higher Powers while talking about the 12 step program. There’s definitely a place in the story for the 12 step stuff and it makes perfect sense here but depending on reader’s tastes, all these might become too much.

The pace of the novel felt a touch off to me. The opening and middle sections have a leisurely feel but the last section is a descent into a three ring circus. The arrival of the large Lopez family for the wedding then an intervention gone bad followed by a shooting, the SWAT team, regional news blanket coverage, a major hospital scene, surgery, a transplant, more news stuff and then finally the wedding was way too much of a pile on.

“Bittersweet Victories” does convey the ending of HFN in the face of Marty’s illness. You don’t attempt to miraculously cure what can’t be cured. Marty and Angie do know what they are facing plus what might be coming down the road in the future and seem content with that. Because of all these issues, this won’t be a book that some readers are going to want to read for whatever reason but it’s one that I’m glad, despite the grade, that you wrote and that I read. C-

~Jayne

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I am a huge fan of your work and there is rarely a book in your bibliography I haven’t responded favorably to.  I’ve even lamented about the fact that your work doesn’t seem to be getting the proper attention.  I am also a fan of the langourous fashion in which some of your books unspool, like a beautifully crafted scroll slowly unwinding.

However A Place Called Home takes langourous storytelling to new levels and the unwinding was so slow that I felt like I had only moved a few millimeters after 100 pages.  Mitchell Baker and Thea Wyndham are thrown together when their friends die and leave them the guardians of three children.  Neither Mitch or Thea want to be the parents.  Mitch is close to proposing to his girlfriend and Thea is engaged to a wealthy older man.  Mitch proposes a shared custodial situation whereas Thea wants to visit.  Thea resists heavily and Mitch reluctantly agrees to be the primary care provider.

Mitchell and Thea have been pushed together several times by their friends but neither bit.  However, Thea hasn’t been immune to Mitch.  She’s always been uncomfortable around him because her attraction to him made her uncomfortable.

Mitch’s relationship with his girlfriend, Gina, is strained when he takes on three children. He doesn’t have time to date her or bed her.  Thea begins to reexamine her relationship with her fiance Joel. She doesn’t love him and likely he doesn’t love her but they are comfortable together.

In many ways, I felt that this was more mainstream fiction than romance because the focus isn’t the relationship between Mitch and Thea but their coping with becoming unexpected parents and growing into responsibilities they weren’t prepared for.  For Mitch, there is no longer any sleeping in, there is dealing with a depressed and distraught preteen eleven year old girl and twin boys.  No longer thinking of himself first and everyone else second. No sexy Gina in his bed.  Mitch learns how to be a dad in a matter of days and weeks instead of years.  For Thea it is just coping and coming to terms with her secret (why this was hidden for so long is a mystery to me and I think aided the unreasonably slow unwinding of the story).  Thea perhaps because of her problems is more understanding and more patient than Mitch and thus turns out to be more adept at parenting than Mitch.

The story starts picking up speed around page 100 or so and honestly if I hadn’t been a fan of your work in the past, I doubt I would have made it this far.  The dialogue of the story is smart and the emotions are strong and thoughtful.

“I’m apologizing.  Again.”

Thea smiled. “I’m not keeping score.”

“Good.”

“Not on the number of apologies,” she said. “I like to judge them in terms of form and contrition.”

“How’d I do?”

“Not bad. I give it a seven.”

He laughed. “I hope that’s on a ten scale. I lost points for my late delivery, didn’t I?”

She nodded.  ”You appeared properly abashed but there was a certain lack of responsibility in your language.”

Max and Thea’s respect for each other deepens, bonded by their loss and gain and their new mistakes and triumphs.  The attraction that likely simmered between them for ten years is given full release.

Yet the ending was so conventional, particularly as it relates to the jilted fiances.  How Harlequin, I thought (no offense Harlequin).  Then there was the triteness associated with some of the sexual situations (Thea had never been able to orgasm with someone before Mitch).

Thea is a complicated heroine and one not written about often. I recall a Kathleen Gilles Seidel book featuring a country singer who had a pill problem but female protagonists don’t often have these types of problems.  From the outside Thea may have looked perfect. Gina, Mitch’s girlfriend, envied Thea’s glossy perfection but the Thea that the readers know is a tentative, scared, and uneasy person who is so afraid to love anyone who she thinks she could hurt that she copes by staying away.  Both Thea and Mitch were  portrayed as flawed and vulnerable, both learning to be  better than even their own expectations. In the end, despite my problems in the beginning, it was a charming romance. Too bad about the slow pacing and the triteness of some of the plot points.  C+

Best regards,

Jane

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When I first started the Lucky Harbor series, I wasn’t sure I would like it. I have a visceral aversion to books with cute titles set in cutely named small towns, with covers colored in pastels and adorned with cute dogs or food. But my strong appreciation for your Sierra Nevada-set series pushed me past my initial resistance, and once I started the trilogy of Phoebe Traeger’s estranged daughters, I was just a little bit hooked. There is a basic affability to your books I cannot precisely articulate, and it often sweeps me along past issues I see more clearly in retrospect. Head Over Heels, the third book in the series, is probably my favorite, affably flawed as it is.

Chloe Traeger has always been the wild child of the sisters, more like her mother in her unwillingness to settle in one place and follow what she perceives to be society’s conventions regarding marriage and family.  She was working with her two sisters, Maddie and Tara, to restore and run the B&B their mother had left them, but only as long as she could light out periodically on her own. These days, she was traveling to demonstrate and distribute her own line of natural spa products, which was already a small nod to stability, but the travel still nourished Chloe’s somewhat restless soul, especially when the alternative was getting into trouble with local law enforcement for helping her friend Lance “rescue” some abused dogs.

Of course, local law enforcement represented more than legal trouble for Chloe; if she let him, Sawyer Thompson could put her into far more danger than Lance’s latest scheme — danger to her body, mind, and heart. Reformed bad boy turned sheriff, Sawyer has watched his two best friends, Jax and Ford, fall under the spell of Chloe’s sisters, and he knows he is a very short step away from the same fate with Chloe. The hell she could raise around town with Lance was nothing compared to the havoc she wreaked with his internal sense of order and control, and the worst thing was that Sawyer couldn’t make himself stay away from her:

[Chloe] wore a soft, black hoodie sweater that clung to her breasts and dark, hip-hugging jeans tucked into high-heeled boots that gave off a don’t-fuck-with-me air but made him ache to do just that.  There was a wildness to her tonight, hell every night, and an inner darkness that he was drawn to in spite of himself.

It called to his true inner nature, the matching wildness and darkness within him, which he’d tried to bury a long time ago.

As reluctant as Sawyer is to revisit that darkness, Chloe has an even more basic concern about getting involved with Sawyer. She has acute asthma, which makes all types of physical exertion, especially the good kind (and would there be any other kind with a guy like Sawyer?), uncomfortable at best and life-imperiling at worst. So powerful as their attraction and friction-producing flirting is, it’s not until Sawyer’s undercover work for the DEA brings him into conflict with one of the town’s real bad boys – who happens to have a growing interest in Chloe – that things really heat up between them.

Anyone who has read the first two books in this series has seen the smart-aleck flirtation between Chloe and Sawyer intensify over the year or so those books cover, and one of the things I appreciated about Head Over Heels was the way it continued to build on that dynamic rather than radically alter it for dramatic effect. And Chloe’s asthma is a very interesting issue in the relationship, because it forces both Chloe and Sawyer past the somewhat clichéd internal obstacles they have to cope with, as well. Sawyer, for example, has unresolved issues with his father, a man who cannot seem to see Sawyer as anything but the troublemaking teen he used to be, and Chloe pushes him to that fine psychological line dividing past from present. And Chloe struggles with her need to feel unimpeded by a “traditional life”:

She understood that, from the outside looking in, it might seem like she had a secret death wish, but she didn’t.  It was just that when she was in the midst of an asthma attack, she often felt so close to death that she, well, dared it.  But she just wanted to run or dance or laugh hard, or have sex without needing an inhaler and possibly an ambulance.

Not exactly a common problem, but one that often left her straddling a fine line between socially acceptable behavior and the wild yearnings her mother had always encouraged.  Her sisters wanted her to stop pushing those boundaries and settle down a little.  And it was that which bothered Chloe more than anything.  The message was simple: if she wanted to be accepted, even loved, by those she’d come to care about, she’d need to change.  But dammit, she wanted to be accepted just as she was, imperfections and all.

Sawyer and Chloe’s mutual need for acceptance is somewhat standard Romance fare, but the addition of Chloe’s asthma creates an opportunity for more emotional intimacy between them. The asthma becomes a means through which Sawyer can show true care and concern for Chloe, and it allows Chloe to become vulnerable with Sawyer in ways she might not otherwise allow. The book does not treat the condition as a gimmick, nor does it become an all-consuming issue for the couple.

I’m sure there will be many, many readers who adore the way Shalvis resolves the conflicts between Sawyer and Chloe. I have a number of quibbles with the book (the “sayings” introducing every chapter seem gimmicky now, and the tendency to use humor to deflect seriousness can feel diminishing), but my most substantial issue is with the way Chloe’s struggle between settling down and setting out is resolved. Without giving away a spoiler, I will say that for me Chloe’s free spirited nature was somewhat betrayed by the resolution, and the reason this matters for me is that so much of the book – of the series, in fact – is constructed around the character of Chloe as a woman who truly enjoyed her freedom and was not just running from something. And while I could lay out the logic of the movements made in the book, I still find them a problematic compromise, and one that highlights the theme of “settling” the series repeats as a chorus.

Throughout the series there is an attempt to distinguish settling down under the right circumstances from just plain settling. One difficulty, of course, is that Romance tends to favor traditional or conventional endings, so an untraditional heroine is already at risk of being made somewhat traditional in the end. The Lucky Harbor series seems especially fond of wrapping things up rather neatly for its main characters, and in Chloe’s case I think the neat wrap-up sells Chloe (and Sawyer) a bit short. And while not a deal breaker for me, it was a disappointment, despite my overall enjoyment of the book and the series. B-

~ Janet

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Right before I received your book for review, a friend of mine told me she had a “meet cute” on a train. She ran into a guy who dropped a tux he was carrying. She later found out he was the best man and the tux was for the wedding. I joked about how this could have been a Harlequin Presents but that no millionaires would ever be caught riding the train. We then traded emails including different scenarios about how a millionaire would find himself on his train. A week later, I had to email her and say that there actually is a Harlequin Presents with a meet cute on a train. Harlequin Presents is like Hallmark, a book for every occassion.

Sophie Greenham is an unknown actress used to playing minor roles. She has no aspirations of anything greater. Her best friend, Jasper, is the son of the Earl of Hawksworth and he has not come out to his father. He begs her to come to his family home where they are going to celebrate his father’s seventieth birthday and pretend to be his girlfriend. Sophie readily agrees and from what she has learned from Jasper about his family, she is happy to go and protect him.

To get to the family home, Sophie takes a train and stumbling around tired and without the funds, she makes her way into first class. She knows she shouldn’t be there, but it is the only place with an open seat and she is exhausted. Unfortunately just as she is taking her seat, her phone rings and it is her recently disposed of ex, Jean-Claude whose voice rings out loud enough for her and fifteen other businessmen to hear.

This is the circumstance in which Kit Fitzroy first meets his half brother’s pretend girlfriend. At this point, Kit only knows that this provocatively corseted girl with the high heeled knee boots is giving the shove to some poor French guy who, from the sounds eminating from the phone, must have been nursing his broken heart in the bottle. Kit isn’t adverse to a light flirtation and thus when, at the end of the train ride, he finds out the identity of Sophie, he immediately forms a bad impression. Unfaithful gold digger.

For Sophie, her attraction to Kit is untimely but she knows that Jasper is her gay friend and not her lover and thus she just doesn’t act like Kit thinks she should act.

Kit has always had a strained relationship with his half brother, in part because his father has always preferred Jasper to Kit and has always been cruel to Kit in small and large ways. Yet Kit cares for Jasper and doesn’t want to see him get taken in.

As Sophie and Kit spend more time together in the house, their attraction deepens. Sophie feels less guilty but she wants to come clean so that their feelings can develop naturally. The stern and businesslike Kit is beset by guilt and knows that an affair with his half brother’s fiance isn’t likely to help mend fences.

This book has a great blend humor from subterfuge (which also included keeping Jasper’s real love away from the party) and ANGST (or agnst as I prefer to spell it) from the forbidden love of Kit and Sophie. Kit isn’t an asshole but trying to protect his home, his family and cope with the lack of support and affection from his family. Sophie is a charming girl who who is the perfect foil. He desperately needs someone to love him and Sophie is ready with open arms. Sweet, funny, and charming. B+

Best regards,

Jane

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Harlequin’s Treasury reissues are allowing me the relatively easy opportunity of trying some authors completely new to me without having to laboriously track down their OOP books. While scanning the offerings at their website, your book “40 Tons of Trouble” caught my eye because of the heroine’s occupation. I can’t recall ever reading about a female big rig, long haul driver so with a click of a button the chance to remedy this was mine.

Cat DeAngelo lives for the road which is a good thing since her family business is a trucking company. She’s never more happy than when she’s out driving truck in her shiny, cherry red Peterbilt. But lately family issues are beginning to take their toll. Her younger brother has quit business college and wants to drive instead of eventually handling the company finances. Her younger sister is stressed as the office manager and their mother has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. So after Cat gets into yet another argument with her brother and he quits right at the start of a cross country job, Cat has had about enough.

When Ricky Steele responds to her job notice at a truck stop and seems to be reliable and has a commercial driver’s license, Cat reads him a list of the company policies and off they go. But Rick isn’t quite who Cat thinks he is though his name rings a bell. He’s actually the owner of a local trucking business but has his reasons to sign on for the cross country trip and back. As the miles roll under the truck wheels, the two start to get to know each other though Cat still doesn’t tell Ricky about the dirty tricks she suspects that another trucking company owner has instigated in order to force her to sell DeAngelo Trucking.

When several incidents occur that nearly get Cat and Ricky killed, the truth comes out along with those pesky details Ricky has been meaning to tell Cat all along. Can their blossoming love survive the revelations or will that and DeAngelo Trucking fall prey to a greedy owner, a man out for revenge and a surprise enemy Cat never suspects?

I don’t know anything about driving an 18 wheeler beyond the fact that it seems like a job that takes a lot of skill. This book taught me a lot but it’s done in such a way that it becomes an integral part of the story instead of merely being a boring recitation of facts of life on the road. Cat is good at what she does and her love of the job and the life are evident from start to finish. It would take a tough woman to make it in this world and Cat is one strong lady. She’s also stubborn to the point of idiocy at times and more than once I wanted to smack some common sense into her.

Ricky gets frustrated with her and I did too. Her reasons for her obstinacy about refusing to sell the company or stop driving make sense based on the background you’ve given her but when she pushes on in the face of attempts on her life that, for all she knows, aren’t finished yet, I was taken aback. Preserving your on time record is one thing but not getting yourself killed is another. There were also a few “inappropriately timed” moments of hot sexing that I found slightly ridiculous.

One villain is immediately known but the other one and the inside snitch took a while to be unmasked though I did catch onto their identities before they were officially revealed. It makes sense who they are and one of them serves as a believable source of conflict in Cat and Ricky’s growing relationship as does the Big Mis which could be seen coming a mile away.

The romance is quick but Cat and Ricky basically live together in a box for a week and the fact that they’re both in the same business probably tells them a lot about each other so…okay. And you don’t have them rushing down the aisle after the I-love-yous which also makes a difference. Usually once a romance couple falls in love, they’re portrayed as eternally happy so the rip roaring “differences” that Cat and Ricky are mentioned as having up to and after their marriage are a touch of reality not often seen in the genre and one that I found slightly refreshing.

Cat isn’t always an easy character to like but she does stay consistent. Even though it takes until the very end of the book, she also grows and learns from what happens and does make changes in her life. There was a point when it appeared that Ricky might try and strong arm her into giving up driving but luckily for my liking of the book he backs off somewhat and just presents her with options which allow her to make her own decisions. I didn’t fall in love with this book but it is an interesting peek into a career I knew little about and features a strong – though at times too stubborn for her own good – heroine. C+

~Jayne

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“After a frantic call, Sloan McKinley travels to the heart of the Alaskan wilderness to be there for her best friend, who’s just inherited property in the small town of Indigo. The last thing she expects is to be lured by the town’s matriarchs into their annual contest to get their grandsons married off.

But Sloan can’t deny the appeal of the rugged local men-Walker Montgomery in particular. Soon she finds herself falling in love with the wild outdoors…and with one of Indigo’s most beloved residents. There’s just one question that remains: is the town’s most confirmed bachelor ready to get caught?”

Dear Ms Fox,

I’m never sure what arcs Jane is going to send me but in one of the latest batches, she tucked a copy of your new contemporary, “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” Not having ever tried any of your books before, I thought, “what the heck.” The blurb sounded like it could be cute so I dove in.

The book starts off well and gives a succinct background to Sloan and why she might not only go along with the bachelor stuff but be more ready than Walker in admitting to her feelings and going for what she wants. Then…

it’s off to Alaska and the feeling that I’m missing something. Grier and her story storta get started then dropped for much of the book with only an occasional return to it to remind us since by now we’ve almost forgotten it. I suppose since this appears to be a series that more time will be spent fleshing out Grier’s past and issues with her father but for right now as this book ends, I’m still truly confused. Since this is only sprinkled on top of Sloan + Walker’s book, I can – and will – ignore most of it for now.

The whole bachelorette thing could have taken over this story and made it silly. After all, the idea is kind of sexist especially since there are so many more men than women in this area so why should the women even be competing? Seems like the men should be proving their worth. Anyway, I’m glad that outside of lighthearted trash talking between the men and women this aspect was left for last and quickly over. I did kind of expect some more time to be spent on the bachelor auction as this sort of thing is usually good for a laugh but even this got skimmed over. Hmmmm

Sloan impresses me. She’s smart, witty, good natured, willing to have some fun after letting her hair down and she lets go of her preconceptions about Alaska and admits she shouldn’t have them. She seems like the type who’d be a great travel companion. She’s also a great friend to Grier and new found friend to Avery and sometimes that involves telling a girlfriend what she doesn’t want to hear. And those two need a lot of telling. I like that Sloan is willing to dig deep into herself and take the chance on telling Walker what she feels and wants. She’s the one with the balls about it. And she also gets off a great story about the whole adventure and learns from everyone then makes use of her new self knowledge. But then what the fuck happens after Walker announces his little “this is my background that precludes me from ever falling in love for good” and Sloan seems to throw all her principles about how she deserves more from a man out into the snow for a few nights of sex? This part disappointed me as it seems like falling into standard “pad the middle of the book and extend the word count because they can’t both fall in love just yet.”

Meanwhile Walker can be a putz. A handsome putz and putz who’s a good lawyer but Lord the man does need a 2×4 lumber whack to the head. Sloan doesn’t mock him when she finds out the reason he’s so against forevah, she sees and feels his pain, but then she is the one to point out that he isn’t his father, he’s grown and he can make choices if only he’s got the nerve and strength to try. As the page count wound down, I wondered if Walker wasn’t going to pull the rug out from under their romance once too often but the grovel scene, where he announces to the world what a fuckwit he’s been then goes about fixing that, is worth most of the price of admission. But man is he a fuckwit for a long time then, after a brief moment of epiphany where he pulls his head out, he plunges back into fuckwittery til the end.

I get the impression you either already love Alaska or have fallen in love with your research about it. It’s not only Small Town Life Rulez but snowy, extremely cold Alaska life Rulez. Okay, it does look like a bee-yut-eful place but for everyone to fall madly in love with life here in such a short space? In winter? Really? Which leads me to another issue which is one brought up here in a recent Open Thread for Readers. The story starts in late November, goes on for 2 weeks and it’s like mushing the romance to the finish line. Wedding bells haven’t rung yet on the New Years Eve that wraps up the book but let me catch my breath from the speed that a lot of today’s romance books seem to share.

“Baby It’s Cold Outside” starts off very nicely but gets bogged down a touch by the middle before finding its way again for the end. I was disappointed that Sloan gets temporarily turned into a character who – out of the blue and for little reason we’ve seen so far – suddenly realizes! “I’m in lurve. Let’s have a few nights of hot sex.” And that Walker switches into putz-mode when the plot calls for it. I’m not ready to move to Alaska yet but could be persuaded to continue with the series to see where you’ll take the plot threads next. B-

~Jayne

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Despite your extensive list of Harlequin books, I’d never read anything by you before taking you up on your offer of “Cafe du Jour.” And when making the decision to try the book, it’s the writing that grabbed me. I felt like Susie was an old friend with whom I’d sat down for a long talk, deep into the evening as we caught up on each other’s lives since I’d last seen her.

Susie is ostensibly writing a journal for her sister, Karen, who’s been in a horrific hit and run accident. In it, Susie writes about her feelings, about her job as a chef in a homey restaurant which is getting a dubious overhaul after the owner’s chef son returns from abroad, about her relationship with her long time live in boyfriend Jody as well as his quicksilver plans to earn a fast dollar by running a bogus new age seminar and how she worries about Karen’s recovery and plans for the future. But even though the journal begins as a way for Susie to record her thoughts about Karen, it ultimately becomes a way for her to explore her own life and where it’s going from here.

As I said, reading this book is like talking with a friend. Listening to her life, the good and the bad, biting my tongue when she talks about a relationship which I can see, by looking in from the outside, isn’t exactly what she thinks it is, agonizing with her over the slow progress her sister is making in recovering from an accident that makes me shudder to think of it, commiserating with her about how maddening yet loving one’s parents can be.

I nod when she voices concerns about how the restaurant in which she works is being changed from the small and quirky neighborhood diner to a flashy, larger place with an increase in staff who’ll be tripping over themselves when the place opens and of her doubts about the son/chef of the owner who obviously doesn’t want Susie to stay on. And the seminar Jody is making up as he goes complete with fake website for him and equally fake website of people he’s “trained with” – well, the less said the better. I know she’s comfortable with Jody but as the evening progresses and the coffee is drunk, I can’t help but toy with the idea of feeling her out on where she thinks that relationship is going.

The frustration Susie feels about Karen comes through loud and clear and I’d reach across the table to squeeze her hand except that I know she’s not a touchy feely kind of person. I can understand how mad she still is about the accident and how it will never be solved, how angry she is at what’s happened to her sister and that she’ll probably never get Karen back as she once was. But that she still doesn’t want to admit that. All I can do is smile at the right places, nod and keep listening as every thing pours out, sometimes randomly and sometimes quietly, sometimes with a smile and at others jerkily and choked with tears.

It’s not an easy evening at times. Some things I don’t want to hear – like all the physical pain Karen endures, some things make me sigh and shake my head – like the selfish demands Jody puts on Susie but I keep listening, keep going because from the beginning of the book, I’ve felt Susie is someone I know, someone I care about and I’m glad that, in the end, things appear to be looking up for everyone. It’s time well spent no matter how rough the going was at times. B

~Jayne

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A few years ago it seems quilting in romance books was all the rage. Now it appears that knitting has taken over. I’ve resisted reading any of these books since I’m not a knitter but in my quest to expand my single title contemporary repertoire, I decided to take the plunge with your book “Wishes and Stitches” since it features an outsider heroine who’s also a doctor. I figured that way, she’s got some other interests besides yarn.

Naomi Fontaine had a great time at a recent medical conference which included a hot night with a handsome fellow attendee. Thinking she’d probably not ever see him again, she let it all loose and both had a night to remember. So when Rig Keller shows up in the small town of Cedar Hollow, CA where Naomi practices Family Medicine (GP), she’s shocked. Her next stunner is when she discovers that her pretty much absentee partner is selling out and that Rig is taking his place in the practice.

Rig, so called because up til now he’s practiced on the Gulf oil rigs, enjoyed the time he spent with Naomi at the conference and has no intention of not pursuing a relationship with her now that they’re living in the same town and seeing each other on a day to day basis. But he can’t seem to figure her out. The warm, confident woman of That Night is not who he’s seeing. Yes, she’s an excellent doctor but outside of work, she keeps a tight rein on her emotions and doesn’t appear to want to let him back into her private life.

Her secret is that Naomi desperately wants to be a part of her new community but a natural reserve keeps her from just jumping into town life. Rig, on the other hand, seems right at home with a long established brother in the community. If he presses for more from her, will Naomi open up personally and professionally? And if she does, is Rig ready and willing to commit to a future together?

Good God the people of this town love to knit. Rig calls it correctly when he says something to the effect that this is the knittingest town he’s ever seen. I wonder if the townsfolk would shun someone because that person – gasp! – crochets or, worse, merely sews or scrapbooks? Is there a roadblock at the edge of town to check for balls of yarn before a person is allowed within the city limits? I like characters with outside interests beyond sex or their jobs but this borders on obsession.

Naomi Fontaine is reserved to the point of almost being an emotional stone wall in the face of others yet she’s got such a deep well of need to fit in and be accepted. That plus the fact that this is a small, blue color town whose townsfolk feel a social gulf between themselves and the doctor don’t help her to fit in and be welcomed with open arms. Rig has an “in” since his brother has lived there for years and is an accepted part of the community. And he’s also a more “open” personality. Meanwhile, Naomi has spent her childhood and most of her adulthood, on getting good grades in order to fulfill her lifelong goal of being a doctor with little time spent socializing outside of those in her profession. Her difficulties in small talk and being part of the crowd might seem exaggerated but they also feel poignant and serve to show the glass wall between Naomi and what she wants – to be accepted.

Naomi’s got some baggage in the persons of her younger and – in Naomi’s mind – favored sister Anna and her mother with whom Naomi has never gotten along. These issues don’t feel made up or too far fetched. A lifetime of this also helps shade in the details on why Naomi would feel as if she’s trying but not getting anywhere with the people of Cedar Hollow. The flashes of anger Naomi shows when Anna appears on her doorstep expecting Naomi to fix the mess Anna has made of her life show that Naomi isn’t a pushover. The fact that Naomi doesn’t just tell Anna to take a hike show that deep down, she does love her sister but this time it’s going to be tough love.

Despite the fact that Rig is apparently more self assured than Naomi doesn’t count for much in their relationship. The book starts off with them already having met and spent a night of hot sexing at a medical conference and it’s Rig who spends the book chasing after Naomi while coaxing her into a repeat of the best sex of his life. This is a neat turn on the usual heroine who is shy of and bumbling at sex with a cool, confident hero. The Big Mis, when it came, arrived out of Naomi and Rig’s profession and seemed relevant to who they are and how they see themselves – plus a healthy dollop of family love. It takes Rig a little while to get over what happens but as he does, he comes to a greater and deeper understanding of this woman he loves.

I loved the humorous scenes scattered throughout the story. The one of Naomi running into Rig’s father Frank – in the condom aisle of the local pharmacy store – when Frank knows Naomi and Rig are about to go out on a date, had me in stitches – sorry bad pun. The men of the Keller clan were fun to read about and such…well, men. Of the two secondary romances, Frank’s worked better for me than the quickie of Rig’s brother Jake. That one is just too fast though the fact that both Keller brothers end the book happily living in sin at the instigation of their ladies is cool with me.

I will admit to a partiality for books with the hero chasing after his heroine so on that score, the romance in this one works for me. What I got tired of is the almost cult like mania for knitting. If this is a reader’s craft of choice then they’ll probably be happier while reading about it but for those uninterested in it – like me – it felt like a cup of Kool Aid along with a pair of knitting needles was being pressed on me by a group eerily smiling people. C+

~Jayne

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What got me interested in trying your first book is the excerpt you sent us and the opening scene in it. Here is a woman wronged who apparently didn’t take her husband’s betrayal of their marriage vows lightly but who, in this modern age, found herself treated as the villain of the piece whereas in ages past she probably would have been lauded for what she did. Instead, after attacking the woman she caught in flagrante delicto with Jake on the sofa in the office of their restaurant Grappa, it’s Mira who ends up being carted away in handcuffs. At least Mira managed to tear out some of the cagna’s hair before the police arrived and she got slapped with a restraining order.

Mari has managed to – pretty much – control herself through 7 months of working the lunch shift at Grappa while Jake is the dinner chef. Her court appointed anger management classes aren’t going so well since she thinks the therapist is full of it but except for one session where she lost control and described what landed her there – with far too much relish in the therapist’s opinion – Mira has even kept a lid on her simmering anger there as well. It’s when she discovers during their final divorce proceedings that Jake and his slut are expecting a baby – when she couldn’t get Jake interested in their own infant daughter – and that he’s going to manage to get Grappa as well, that Mira loses it again and this time has to take Chloe and leave the city.

At first, Mira has no intention of staying in her hometown of Pittsburgh longer than the court order for her to stay out of NYC lasts. Despite the fact that her widowed father lives there as well as a older friend from her childhood, Mira sees nothing for herself there. Yet as she begins to settle and, without quite realizing it, inadvertently start growing roots there again, she starts to heal and slowly to discover who and what is important in her life. Could what she’s always been looking for have been there all along?

I wouldn’t call this Chick Lit by any means despite the first person POV tale of a woman’s journey of self discovery. Mira is older, a divorced mother and can pack a mean wallop when she gets pissed off. I see this more as women’s fiction with a dollop of romance sprinkled on at the very end. Kind of like the finishing touch that a chef adds the moment before the plated dinner heads out of the kitchen and to the diner. Yes, the food references are deliberate as food is such an integral part of who Mira is. She lives to cook and can “foodie” with the best of them. If faced with a medley of foodstuffs, her mind is immediately spinning and whirling as she pairs them and dresses them and invents new recipes on the spot. Discovering the secret yet essential ingredient in a dish she’s trying to reproduce is like a delicious game to her. It’s amazing I didn’t end up eating the entire contents of my kitchen after reading about so much wonderful food.

Mira did need to get away from the source of her anger and betrayal but it still takes her a long time to get over what Jake did to her. As indeed I think it would take anyone. The ache is there yet Mira also has to face the reality behind her marriage and come to finally accept it for what it was. Watching her pull herself out of the funk she was in and start to rebuild her confidence isn’t easy but seeing the finished Mira – who is so much stronger a woman than she was before – is worth the effort.

It’s not just herself she needs to rethink though as Mira is, let’s be honest, a bit of a snob, and not only where food is concerned. The relationships of those around her also challenge her to be more understanding but that doesn’t come easily either. Her professor father’s romance with a secretary, who Mira sees as beneath him, ruffles her feathers and her long sober alcoholic friend’s fall from sobriety wrenches Mira’s heart but in the end, it all helps mature her.

The romance ends on a HFN note as Mira is now finally ready to take a chance on her heart and on a man she wouldn’t have been ready for a year ago. And she’ll be back to doing what she loves, cooking in her own restaurant, but a better, more … seasoned if you will… woman who finally knows herself better and is ready to confidently move forward with her life. B-

~Jayne

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This book is one of Riptide Publishing’s initial releases as it opens its doors for business. I had high hopes for it: contemporary m/m about a member of our Armed Forces kicked out under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and his hero, a writer of m/m romance. Unfortunately, this is one of the most boring books I’ve ever read. Not actively infuriating — I never yelled at the book, I never rolled my eyes — but just unutterably boring, with cardboard characters, speedbump conflicts, ordinary sex, and no tension whatsoever.

Cole is a former Marine major kicked out under DADT. He has (relatively mild?) PTSD and the first semester of law school is very very hard (cue tiny violins.) Marc is a waiter at a local diner who writes m/m romance on the side. He’s hoping eventually to be able to earn enough from his writing to make it a full-time job, so he’s very committed to it. Cole has breakfast at the diner, Marc’s hot for Cole because he has a fetish for military men,  Cole leaves his cheap pay-as-you-go cell phone in the diner, Marc takes it back to him, Cole invites him in, Marc gives Cole a blowjob, Cole throws Marc out.

And really, the emotional depth of the actions are just about reflected in that summary.

Okay, so Cole gets mad at himself for being an asshole, goes back to the diner to apologize, Marc agrees to go out with him again, and they both agree to take things slowly. But then Cole gets spooked when they touch in public, so Marc gets mad at the closet case. But then Cole realizes he’s being an asshole and it’s all solved! And then they quickly get together to the point that they’re almost living together. Then they ARE living together. Then Cole’s asshole father calls to say his mother fell down, can he come visit, so Cole goes home to North Carolina, and is shocked at what he finds, because his mother has early-onset Alzheimers that no one told him about. So he stays and casually asks Marc to join him. Marc refuses, Cole breaks up with him. Marc changes his mind, goes out to NC to be with Cole, who tells him maybe not. Cole still wants them to be together, but he can’t ask Marc to give up his life. He sends Marc home, eventually goes back himself, and…oh who cares?

Honestly, every barrier is treated like a speedbump. Cole has PTSD! Marc whines him into going to see a psychologist, so that’s all taken care of. ::dusts hands:: Cole’s parents are falling apart and Cole has to be with them, even though his father hates that he’s gay and refuses to get help for his wife. Cole asks Marc to move to NC because he has no idea how long he’ll be there, Marc says no, Cole breaks up with him, Marc changes his mind, Cole changes his mind. Each one of these steps is maybe a conversation. That’s it. Seriously! For example: Marc chucks it all, goes to NC, meets Cole’s father, who throws him out, which Marc just accepts. Marc tells Cole his dad will just have to get used to him:

“Marc, you don’t get it,” Cole said slowly. “He’s an old-school Marine with a very set way of looking at the world. Everything’s either black or white to him. Right or wrong. If he won’t even accept his own son, what makes you think he’ll accept you?” [Oh, okay, so rolling over and letting him live with his own hate is the way to go? Check!]

Marc stared at him, swallowing another sip of wine. He couldn’t have looked more stunned if Cole had hauled off and slapped him. [Yeah, no shit.]

“Look, as much as I appreciate your offer, I think moving here would be a big mistake.” Scratch that — now Marc couldn’t have looked more stunned. [Uh, yeah, me too. What the hell happened to getting so mad he wouldn't come out that you broke up with him. Over the phone?!] Cole scooped up his hand, cradling it between both of his. “Sooner or later you’ll start resenting me for making you leave your friends and your job and your mom behind. [You couldn't have thought of this BEFORE asking him to move? And then breaking up with him because he said no for all of these perfectly valid reasons you're now quoting back to him as if you thought of them first?] I love you, Marc, and I want you to be happy. But believe me, you’ll be miserable here. I don’t even want to be here. I’d give my left nut to get on a plane back to California with you tomorrow.” [So...why'd you ask in the first place? Why no apology for asking?]

“Why don’t we leave your left nut where it is, okay?” [Oh, har har. Humor!] There was that crooked smile he loved so much, and Marc’s comforting arms wrapped around him, pulling him back down beside him. “I like knowing where I can find it. And all your other parts, too.”

He carded his fingers through Marc’s dark curls [wow, I got REALLY tired of this image -- find another way to say "ran his fingers through his hair" please], inhaling the faint piney scent of his shampoo. “Go home and take care of Thomas. I’ll be back to see you when I can.”

“Still think it’ll be a few months?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. But I’ve got a feeling we should get ready for the long haul.”

“All right.” Marc sighed.

They lay there in silence for a while.

And that’s it! That’s the sum total of their conversation. REALLY? Marc came all the way across the country because Cole asked on a whim and then broke up with him when Marc said no, and then Cole completely changes his mind, and Marc says “all right” and that’s it! Can we have a little more emotional affect between these two men?

No, apparently not.

This book could have been amazing. Cole could have been deep and fascinating. He’s never had a boyfriend before, doesn’t know how to treat one, doesn’t know how to believe that he himself deserves a relationship. He misses the Marines, hates law school. Except…nothing’s dealt with beyond mentioning it, let alone examining it. Marc actually writes a story that matches their story, as they’re living it, but again, it’s just mentioned. There’s no THERE there, nothing insightful, nothing interesting, nothing beyond, “ooh, a writer and a Marine! Nifty!” Nothing about a writer having insights about what’s happening to him, or meta-commentary about his own story, or…anything.

(And that’s leaving aside the ridiculousness about how Cole’s parents could not have been living in the same house in Raleigh NC his whole life if his father had actually spent 30 years in the Marines, because there are no Marine bases in Raleigh and they would have moved around more than that anyway. But whatever…)

Anyway, it didn’t take long to read this story because plot points was all it was. But I can’t imagine myself ever reading anything else you write if this is the level of your story-telling ability.

Grade: D

Best regards,

-Sarah

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